Grilled Mac ‘n’ Cheese BLT

Straight up, this sandwich is not the healthiest thing on the planet. But, I’m sure you’re all thinking, “Duh!”. I mean, the theme for this month is mac ‘n’ cheese, that alone is something to celebrate, and I’m not expecting you to eat mac every day. Or am I? Either way, this sandwich is the best of three worlds, and you should enjoy it. It’s no Buffalo Chickpea Mac, but it’s damn good.

You’ve got your creamy mac ‘n’ cheese, and you marry it with the refreshing BLT, which makes it a more cool weather-appropriate sammich. On top of all that, literally and figuratively, you grill it! Also, I have to say that I received a Panini press this past week and I’m addicted, hence this recipe.

For example, I held a b-day get together at my house this past weekend, where I had a legit cheese platter out (courtesy of Artisan Vegan Cheese, as mentioned previously), SO many vegan cupcakes (thank you to those that brought them!) some healthier sides, then.. then there was the grilled cheese bites. For a solid hour I was cranking out different grilled cheese sandwiches and cutting them into bite size pieces. Basically, if I was an attendee at my party, I would have been stoked (and sad about my pants getting tighter). Overall, it was a great time, and it was nice to see so many friends in one place. 🙂

Back to the sandwich, this thing was super easy to make. Even with taking photos and writing down the short ingredient list, it probably took my 30-45 minutes. That includes the semi-clean up, plus setting up the final shot. BOOM! So easy. To give you some perspective, it usually takes me a couple of hours for each recipe, not including doing the dishes and taking down my props, etc. Oy. The time certainly adds up!

Luckily, you don’t have to worry about that. You can just whip this thing out and chow down! Plus, I made it a single serving recipe, so you can indulge without being tempted further by leftovers. Maybe you have more restraint than I, but that is a serious problem in my kitchen! 😉

Take your BLT, add some mac 'n' cheese then grilled it for extra awesomeness!

Ingredients

Sandwich

⅓ C. Dried Pasta + Water for Boiling

⅓ C. Vegan Cheddar Shreds

1 T. Non-Dairy Milk

½ C. Greens, Packed (chopped if necessary)

3 Thin Slices of Tomato

1 T. Vegan Mayo

2 Slices of Bread

4- 3½" long Tempeh Bacon Pieces

Tempeh Bacon (if you can't find store-bought)

1 Block of Tempeh

½ C. Water

2-3 T. Liquid Aminos

1-2 T. Maple Syrup

1 T. Liquid Smoke

1 tsp. Onion Powder

Pinch of Black Pepper

Oil for Frying (Or Parchment paper for baking)

Instructions

Sandwich

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, then drain and rinse with cool water.

Put the pasta back into the pot and set the temperature to medium. Add the cheddar shreds and non-dairy milk to the pot, stir until the shreds have melted completely and the sauce coats the pasta evenly.

Spread the vegan mayo as a thin coat on one side of each piece of bread. On one of the pieces, place the greens (I usually squeeze them to fit more into each sandwich), then the macaroni 'n' cheese, next the tomato slices, then the tempeh bacon.

Top with the other slice of bread, and place on a Panini press or griddle. Press/grill until the bread has reached the desired brown or darkness of crust. Then serve!

Tempeh Bacon

If you can't buy pre-sliced/pre-seasoned tempeh bacon, you can always make some at home!

Slice your tempeh block length-wise so that the strips are ⅛" wide. Then slice them in half, so that they are about 3½" long.

16 Comments on “Grilled Mac ‘n’ Cheese BLT”

ooooh Jackie girl, what HAVE you done!?? I have seen a mac + cheese inside a sandwich, but never *really* wanted to try (okay, I did) UNTIL NOW. BLT is the best possible pairing you could have thought of. GEEZ I want this immediately.

I love your theme. I can’t decide which to make first! Maybe this… one of my pre-vegan indulgences was an appetizer at a local restaurant, mac-n-cheese grilled cheese. It was ludicrous and I only had it a handful of times before going vegan, and this would probably make me really happy. Also, I think we have the same birthday, Sep 18? Happy birthday! So glad to have found your blog!

Yay!! I love your entire comment! And happy belated to you, September 18th birthday are clearly the best. 😉 Also, you’re pretty much set with whichever recipe you choose to make, although I do have some crazy ones coming up. 😀

Vegan Yack Attack!

Welcome to this vegan food blog, run by Jackie Sobon, which covers everything from indulgent desserts, to healthy dinners, and even raw recipes! I also write up restaurant reviews and am sort of a beer snob. You'll find that there is something for everyone, here!

Get VYA Updates!

Search!

Search

Popular

All images, recipes, and content is VYA Copyright 2010-2016, unless otherwise noted. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material (content and images) without express and written permission from veganyackattack@gmail.com is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Vegan Yack Attack with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Please see our Privacy Policy .